Novel telehealth approach may improve overactive bladder symptoms

Women with overactive ­bladder — a chronic condition triggering a sudden, hard-to-control urge to urinate — showed significant improvement in symptoms when they added telehealth visits to their usual care, new research suggests.

The pilot study by Harvard researchers, published online March 7, 2022, by Menopause, included 23 women newly diagnosed with overactive bladder, which affects about one in five women. Instead of a traditional follow-up office visit three months after diagnosis, participants scheduled a so-called async="async"hronous telehealth visit for about a month later. This involved completing an electronic questionnaire about their symptoms and treatment progress. Clinicians responded to each patient's answers with specific recommendations, such as switching medications or reinforcing behaviors (such as cutting back on fluids and caffeine) to improve overactive bladder symptoms.

Over four months, most participants completed two such telehealth visits. All showed significant improvement in their urinary symptoms and less urine leakage between their first and last telehealth visits. More than 30% switched medications or adjusted dosage, and most rated their treatment experience highly. Researchers plan further studies to determine if the telehealth approach might improve overactive bladder care, since nearly half of patients suffer from lingering urinary difficulties despite advances in treatment.

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